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33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  M580 

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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CiHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


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Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notas  tachnfquas  at  bibliographiquas 


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10X 

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itails 
(  du 
odifier 
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mage 


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empreinte. 

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dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
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symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


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required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


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Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
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de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  lo  nombre 
d'images  n6cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m^thode. 


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SMITHSONIAN  CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  KNOWLEDGE. 

155 


V. 


ANCIENT  MINING 


V 


SHORES  OF  LAKE  SUPERIOR. 


BY 


CHARLES    WllITTLMSEY. 


[aCCKI'TKU   rOR   publication,   Al-HIL,    IBG2.J 


kA.. 


COMMISSION 


TO    WHICU    THIS    PAPKR    HAS    BEEN    UKFERRKD. 


i 


D   Wilson,  TJ,.D., 
K    II.  Davis,  MI). 


Joseph  IIenhv, 


Srcrdur'j  ,S'.  /. 


CUM,  I  N  H,    Pit  I  N  TK  h  . 
I'liaAliKI.l'JII.V. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PLATE. 


Outline  Mnp  showing  the  position  of  tlic  nncicnt  mine-pits  of  Point  Keweenaw,  Michigan,  by 
Cliarles  Whittlesey.     { Frontisjnfce  ) 

wt)OP-c  r  Ts. 

Figure    1.  'Waterbury  Mine — nrtifieiiil  cavern                ......           7 

Figure    2.  Woi)den  Shovel — Watcrbury  Mine  .......          8 

Figure    3.  Section  on  the  Copper  Fulls  Vein   .......           0 

Figure    4  Stone  Hunimer  or  Maul,  with  one  groove,  and  broken  by  use — Copper  Falls  Mine  .         1 1 

Figure    5.  Copper  Spear-head — Copper  Falls  Mine                                                                     .11 

Figure    fi.  Central  Mine.     Section  of  the  vein  and  old  pit.     Rnst  and  west                  .             .12 

Figure    7.  13rokeu  Maul,  without  groove — Central  Mine                                                          .13 

Figure    8.  Ancient  Pits  in  the  Boulder  Drift  or  Gravel — Quincy  Location                                .14 

Figure    9.  Minnesota  Mine.     Section  across  the  Vein,  looking  from  the  easterly  quarter          .         17 

Figure  10.  Stone  Maul,  with  double  grooves — Minnesota  Mine                                                   .10 

Figure  11.  Copper  Chisel,  full  .-iize — Minnesota  Mine    .....         19 

Figure  12.  Siiear-hcad,  half  size — Ontoniigon.     From  drawings  of  .Inhn  V  Mullowney,  F.<(|., 

Surv(^y()r  ......         21 

Figure  13  Copper  (Jad,  full  size — Minnesota  Mine       ......         21 

Figure  14.  (Chisel,  half  size — Ontonagon                                    .....         21 

Figure  l.").  Rude  Copjjcr  Knife,  full  size — Carp  River  ......         23 

Figure  Ifi.  Pointwl  Tool  with  n  Socket,  full  size — Carp  River  .                         .             .             .23 

Figuiv  17.  Copper  In.^^trnment,  full  size — Fort  Wilkins                                       .             .             .24 

Figure  ix.  (^)pp('r  llnok,  full  size — Siuill  St.  Mary's                                                                   .24 

Figure  19.  Outline  of  a  Co|)per  Tool,  full  size — (Jarden  River,  Canada                                               25 

Figure  20.  Copper  S|H'ar-lieiid,  full  size,  ilownwiird  view — Oak  Onluinl,  Oconto  Ccumty,  Wis- 

coM.'iin  ........         2.'i 

Figure  21.  Copi)or  Knil'e,  full  size         ........         211 


C    :5    ) 


f 


ANCIENT  MINING  ON  THE  SlIOllES  OF  LAKE  SUPERIOR. 


PRELIMINARY  REMARKS. 


The  eviclcncos  of  ancient  mining  operations  within  the  mineral  region  of  Lake 
Superior  were  first  brought  to  public  notice  in  the  winter  of  1847-8.  .  Ithough  the 
Jesuit  fathers  frequently  mention  the  existence  of  copper,  and  even  use  the  term  ntini», 
it  is  clear,  from  the  general  tenor  of  their  narratives,  that  they  neither  saw  nor  knew 
of  any  actual  mhiiiKi  in  the  technical  sense  of  thn.t  word.  They  annovmced  as  early 
as  the  year  1(530  the  presence  of  native  copper,  and  refer  to  it  as  having  been  taken 
from  the  "mines."  This  was  prior  to  the  time  when  they  had  themselves  visited 
the  Great  Lake,  and  their  information  was  derived  from  Indians,  At  the  same 
time  they  speak  with  equal  certainty  of  mines  of  gold,  rnbica,  and  steel ;  but  it  must 
be  borne  in  remembrance  that  the  French  word  is  not  equivalent  to  our  English 
nihies,  but  may  be  more  correctly  rendered  veins  or  deposits  of  metals  or  ores. 

In  the  "llelacions"  for  1(559-60,  after  missions  had  been  established  on  Lake 
Superior,  the  region  is  reported  to  be  "enriched  in  all  its  borders  by  mines  of  lead 
almost  pnr(>  and  of  copper  all  refined  in  pi(Tes  as  large  as  the  fist,  and  great  rocks 
which  liave  whole  veins  of  tor(piois(\"  It  is  probable  that  these  accounts  are 
second  hand  and  such  as  the  Chippeways  gave  when  they  exhibited  to  the  fathers 
specimei.s  of  native  metal  i.    v- o  shape  of  water-worn  ])ieces  and  small  boulders. 

I}(nicher,  in  the  "Ilistoirc  ve  itabh>,"  &c.,  in  1G40,  asserts  that  "  there  are  in  this 
region,  min(>s  of  copper,  tin,  antimony,  and  lead."  He  speaks  of  a  great  island 
fifty  leagues  in  circumference,  which  is  doubtless  the  one  now  called  Michipicoten, 
wliere  "there  is  a  very  beautiful  mine  of  copper."  Copper  was  also  found  in  other 
l)laces  in  larg(^  masses  "  all  refined ;"  in  one  instance  an  ingot  of  copper  was  discovered 
wliich  weighed  more  than  800  pounds,  and  from  which  the  Indians  cut  off  pieces 
with  their  axes  after  having  s.»fcened  it  by  fire.  All  tliis  information  Boucher 
()btain(>d  from  some  Freneli  traders,  an«l  not  from  h's  own  observation.  Such  is  tlie 
tenor  of  the  historical  accounts  from  tlie  time  of  Lagarde  in  1(5;3()  to  Charlevoix  in 
n',>l. 

Detached  and  water-worn  lumps  of  copper  have  been  found  in  great  numV)(  is  in 
tlie  gravel,  clny,  and  loose  materials  that  cover  the  rocks,  from  the  days  of  the 
Catholic  fathers  to  this  time,  not  only  hi  the  mineral  region  but  over  a  large  space 
to   the  southward  of  it.     All  these   pieces  were  originally  '>',m  veins,  but  have 


f 


2  ANCIENT   MINI XO 

probably  been  separated  by  the  same  cause  that  gave  rise  to  that  formation  which 
geologists  call  the  "drift." 

The  agent,  whatever  it  was,  that  broki;  off  fragments  from  the  rocks,  not  oiily  on 
Lake  Superior  but  further  nortli,  and  trausijorted  them  in  the  shape  of  boulders, 
sand,  and  gravel,  as  far  south  as  the  valley  of  the  Ohio,  also  bore  along  the  con- 
tents of  the  mineral  veins  which  those  rocks  contained.  Pieces  of  native  copper 
arc  well  calculated  to  resist  the  severe  attrition  to  which  transported  materials  are 
subjected.  Masses  of  it  have  been  found  not  far  removed  from  the  mineral  range, 
weighing  3000  lbs.,  and  others  at  a  greater  distance  have  been  taken  from  the  beds 
of  rivers  and  from  the  beach  of  the  lake  weighing  1500  and  800  poimds.  Others 
again  of  less  size  have  been  recovered  from  the  gravel  of  the  Menominee  River, 
near  the  shores  of  Green  Bay,  and  at  Sheboygan  Fidls  near  the  town  of  Sheboygan 
on  Lake  Michigan.  Professor  J.  Brainard,  of  CJlevcland,  has  a  piece  weighing  five 
or  six  pounds  which  was  found  five  feet  beneath  the  surface  in  the  drift  gravel  of 
llocky  River,  Medina  County,  Ohio. 

Had  the  Indians,  the  French,  or  the  Jesuits  of  early  times,  discovered  copper 
on  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan  or  of  Lake  Erie,  not  knowing  or  supposing  the 
metal  could  exist  except  in  mines,  they  would  probably  have  spoken  of  it  as  having 
been  found  in  a  mine.  The  attention  of  the  fathers  was  not  particidarly  called  to 
the  subject  of  mineralogy,  and  although  they  were  learned  men,  their  knowledge 
of  geology  must  have  been  very  limited,  for  this  science  had  not  at  that  time 
assumed  a  place  in  the  schools. 

As  to  the  accounts  given  by  savages,  every  one  wlio  has  had  much  intercourse 
with  them,  knows  that  great  allowance  must  be  made  for  their  want  of  knoAvlcdge 
and  their  tendency  to  cmbellislimcnt  and  exaggeration.  I  have  listened  to  many 
wonderfid  tales  concerning  distant  minerid  riches.  An  aged  Chippeway,  by  the 
name  of  Kundickan,  Avhom  I  met  on  the  Ontonagon  in  1845,  stated  that  as  he 
was  one  day  sailing  along  the  western  shore  of  the  Gogebic  (or  Akogebe)  Lake,  at 
the  head  of  the  west  branch  of  that  river,  he  heard  an  explosion  on  the  face  of 
a  rocky  cliff  that  overlooked  the  water,  and  saw  pieces  of  something  fall  at  a  dis- 
tance from  him,  both  in  the  lake  and  on  the  beach.  "When  he  had  found  some  of 
them,  they  proved  to  be  a  wliite  metal,  like  "Shuneaw"  (money),  which  the  white 
man  gives  to  the  Indians  at  La  Pointe.  There  are  good  reasons  why  the  old 
missionaries  should  have  had  greater  confidence  in  sucli  stories  than  we  have,  and 
thus  have  given  them  a  place  in  their  reports  to  the  Propaganda.  But  with  all 
the  influence  possessed  by  them  over  the  Indians,  and  the  closeness  of  the  ties  that 
coiUd  not  fail  to  exist  between  a  priest  and  his  converts,  no  instance  is  referred  to 
where  they  were  shown  mining  operations  upon  the  rocks  or  veins. 

There  is  nothing  to  show  that  the  Indians  wrought  copper  in  mines  at  that  time. 
They  had  no  implements  proper  for  the  puq)os(! ;  nor  did  they  produce  samples  of 
metal  taken  from  its  position  in  silCi.  Tlie  Indians  hacT  neither  copper  kettles  nor 
axes  when  the  French  came  among  them ;  but  only  rudely  fashioned  copper  knives, 
that  were  evidtmtly  beaten  out  from  small  bould(>rs.  Instead  of  viewing  copper  as 
an  object  of  every  day  use,  they  regarded  it  as  a  sacred  Manitou,  and  carefully 
jtreservcHl  pieces  of  it  wrajjped  up  in  s^kin  in  tlieir  lodges  for  many  years ;  and  this 


/I 


ON   THE    SIIOURS   OF    LAKR    ST  PR  11  lO  It. 


8 


custom  has  been  continued  to  modern  times.  I  am  well  aware  that  they  have  a 
superstitious  dread  of  showing  a  mineral  mass  or  locality  to  a  wl  itc  man,  believing 
that  the  Mauitous  will  visit  them  with  some  calamity  if  they  do  so. 

The  missionaries,  however,  frequently  overcame  this  feeling  in  regard  to  copper 
boulders,  and  could  as  easily  have  done  so  in  regard  to  mines,  if  any  such  had 
really  existed.  If  the  Chippeways  had  been  cognizant  of  the  ancient  works  that 
have  been  recently  discovered,  tliey  would  have  communicated  this  fact  to  their 
spiritual  fathers,  who  would  not  have  suffered  so  interesting  a  fact  to  be  lost. 

If  the  Indians  possessed  traditions  from  their  ancestors  relating  to  ancient 
mines,  or  the  people  who  worked  them,  those  must  also  have  come  to  the  ears 
of  the  Jesuits.  AVith  the  exception  of  an  old  Chippeway  chief  who  resided  some 
years  since  at  Fon  du  Lac  (Lalte  Superior),  I  have  known  of  no  one  pretending  to 
such  knowledge.  The  story  he  gives  is  sufficiently  imaginative,  and  relates  to 
mines  wrought  by  his  tribe  on  Isle  Iloyale,  in  times  long  past,  when  his  fathers 
were  much  happier,  and  had  larger  canoes  than  his  cotemporarics  have  now.  1 
place  his  narrative  in  the  same  category  with  those  above  noticed,  as  having  refer- 
ence to  boulder  copper,  and  not  to  that  obtained  from  mining  in  situ. 

From  evidences  which  I  shall  give,  in  describing  the  works  in  detail,  it  will 
ap})ear  that  they  were  abandoned  several  hundred  years  before  the  French  became 
acquainted  with  the  northern  tribes;  no  mines  having  been  found  that  could  have 
been  wrought  as  late  as  the  time  of  the  earliest  Jesuit.  If  such  were  wrought  by 
Indians,  it  must  have  been  at  a  period  very  remote,  such  as  Loons  Foot  describes. 
But  could  the  natives  have  lost  the  recollection  of  such  a  state  of  things  ?  Had 
they  ever  worked  mines,  they  must  have;  possessed  the  skill  to  fashion  the  metal 
extracted  from  them  into  various  useful  forms,  without  which  it  would  be  of  no 
value.  Neither  the  skill  nor  the  implements  themselves  would  have  been  lost  in  a 
few  hundred  years,  by  a  people  ha\  ing  the  same  wants,  and  residing  in  the  same 
country. 

It  also  seems  to  be  highly  improbable  that  their  ancestors  either  knew  of  ancient 
mines,  not  worked  by  themselves,  or  the  people  who  wTought  them.  Tradition  is 
the  only  history  of  savage  nations,  and  the  fault  of  this  species  of  knowledge  is 
not  in  the  absence,  but  in  the  excess  of  materials  such  as  they  are. 

Among  thousands  of  legends  which  the  Indians  have  related,  nothing  positive  or 
consistent  has  come  to  my  knowledge  respecting  the  people  who  preceded  the  present 
Aborigines,  except  a  tradition  communicated  to  Major  liong,  in  1819,  upon  the 
Great  Miami  River,  by  an  Indian  chief,  during  his  Expedition  to  the  Sources  of  the 
Mississippi.  Aside  from  this,  I  have  heard  of  nothing  coming  from  the  Western 
tribes  concerning  the  origin  of  the  tumuli  and  earthworks  that  are  so  conspicuous 
in  Ohio,  Kentucky,  and  other  Western  States.  As  a  people,  if  we  may  judge  by 
their  silence  on  a  subject  on  Avhich  they  may  be  supposed  inclined  to  be  communi- 
cative, if  they  had  anything  to  tell,  the  aborigines  have  no  traditionary  knowledge 
of  their  predecessors,  the  race  of  the  "mound  builders."  Neither  do  we  find  in 
the  record  of  English  travellers  who  succeeded  the  French  in  1763  any  notice  of 
ancient  mmes. 


A  NCI  F  XT   MIN'IXO 


Dcucription  of  the  LrirnlHi/  of  the  liemninn  nf  Ancient  Mining  OjH'rntimts,  (hr. 


.  In  casting  the  eye  over  a  map  of  Lake  Superior,  a  remarkable  projection,  in  the 
form  of  an  immense  horn,  will  be  observed  jutting  out  from  the  south  shore,  and 
curving  to  the  northeast  imtil  it  ends  in  an  irregular  point. 

This  peninsula,  which  is  called  Keweenaw  Point,  is  about  eighty  miles  in  length, 
and  at  the  place  where  it  joins  the  main  land  forty-five  miles  in  width.  Through 
the  whole  extent  of  this  projection  a  belt  of  metallif(Tous  trap  formation  extends, 
diff(>ring  at  various  points  in  structure,  and  in  the  character  of  its  contents.  Along 
this  belt,  which  is  designated  on  the  vnap  by  dotted  lines,  there  are  exhibited,  through- 
out nearly  its  whole  extent,  a  disturbance  of  the  strata,  and  upheavals  comprising  a 
scries  of  bluffs,  rising  abriiptly  from  the  two  streams.  Eagle  and  Montreal  Rivers. 

AVithin  this  belt,  all  the  mining  operations,  ancient  and  modem,  have  been  chiefly 
confined.  The  most  remarkable  feature  of  the  district  is  the  character  of  its  metal- 
liferous products,  which  occur,  not  in  the  condition  of  an  ore  of  copper,  but  exclu- 
sively as  native  metal.  This  is  met  with  in  immense  masses,  in  veins  of  smaller 
size,  and  in  rounded  nodules.  The  cutting  of  the  masses  is  a  tedious  and  costly 
process,  and  in  some  instances,  even  with  all  the  appliances  of  modem  art,  requires 
several  months  before  a  single  mass  is  entirely  removed  from  the  mine.  The  metal 
is  sometimes  almost  entirely  free  from  foreign  matter,  yielding  when  melted  down 
in  the  furnace  from  90  to  95  per  cent,  of  copper. 

The  first  actual  mining  operations,  within  historic  times,  were  commenced  near 
the  forks  of  the  Ontonagon,  in  1761,  by  Alexander  Henry,  but  under  the  peculiar 
circumstances  they  proved  entirely  abortive.  In  1841,  Dr.  Douglas  Houghton  made 
a  report  to  the  Legislature  of  Michigan,  in  which  the  earliest  definite  information  in 
regard  to  the  occurrence  of  native  copper  on  Lake  Superior  was  given  to  the  public. 
Shortly  after  this,  mining  operations  were  commenced  in  this  region,  explorers  an<l 
speculators  flocked  to  it  from  all  quarters,  and  in  1 845  the  shores  of  Keweenaw 
Point  were  whitened  with  their  tents. 

In  1846  the  excitement  reached  its  climax,  after  which  a  reaction  took  place, 
and  finally  only  half  a  dozen  companies  out  of  all  that  had  been  formed  continued 
the  operation  of  mining  in  good  earnest. 

TTie  first  public  announcement,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  of  the  remains  of  ancient 
mines  in  the  copper  region  is  that  by  Mr.  S.  O.  Knapp,  agent  of  the  Minnesota 
Mining  Company,  in  1848.  Dr.  Chas.  T.  Jackson  brought  forward  the  subj(>ct  in 
his  Geological  Report  to  the  United  States  Government,  in  1849,  and  gave  some 
interesting  details  of  what  had  been  discovered  up  to  that  time.  Further  mention 
of  it  was  made  by  Messrs.  Foster  and  Whitney,  in  their  report  in  1850,  and  several 
illustrations  were  given.  Since  then  our  knowledge  of  the  subject  has  been  much 
enlarged  by  the  prosecution  of  mining  operations  on  the  very  sites  of  the  ancient 
Avorks. 

It  must  not,  however,  be  supposed  that  our  information  is  now  complete.  It  is  by 
no  means  an  easy  task  to  discover  remains  buried,  as  those  of  the  ancient  mines  of 


ox   TIIK    WHORES   OF   LAKR   SUPERIOR 


Lake  Siiporior  nro,  in  oxtcnsivo  and  donso  forests,  where  the  explorer  can  only  see 
a  few  rods,  or,  perhaps,  yards  around  him,  and  where  there  is  seldom  anything 
which  rises  sufficiently  high  above  the  surface  to  attract  the  eye. 

They  are,  for  the  most  part,  merely  irregular  depressions  in  the  soil,  trenches,  pits, 
and  cavities ;  sometimes  not  exceeding  one  foot  in  depth,  and  a  few  feet  in  diameter. 
Thousands  of  persons  had  seen  the  depressions  prior  to  1848,  who  never  suspected 
that  they  had  any  connection  with  the  arts  of  man ;  the  hollows,  made  by  large 
trees  overturned  by  the  wind,  being  frequently  as  well  marked  as  the  ancient  exca- 
vations. Besides  this,  there  are  natural  depressions  in  the  rocks  on  the  outcrop  of 
veins,  formed  by  the  decomposition  of  the  minerals,  that  resemble  the  troughs  of 
the  ancient  miners,  as  they  appear  after  the  lapse  of  centuries.  There  is  not  always 
a  mound  or  ridge  along  the  side  of  the  pits,  for  most  of  the  broken  rock  was  thrown 
behind,  nearly  tilling  up  the  trenches.  A  mound  of  earth  is  as  nearly  imperishable 
as  any  structure  we  can  form.  Some  of  the  tumuli  of  the  west  retain  their  form, 
and  even,  the  perfection  of  their  edges  at  this  day.  But  mere  pits  in  the  earth  are 
rapidly  filled  up  by  natural  processes.  Some  of  those  which  have  been  reopened, 
and  found  to  have  been  originally  ten  ft  deep,  are  now  scarcely  visible.  Others 
that  have  a  rira  of  earth  around  the  borders,  or  a  slight  mound  at  the  side,  and 
were  at  first  very  shallow,  are  more  conspicuous  at  present  than  deep  ones  without 
a  border. 

TTiere  are,  however,  pits  of  such  size  as  could  not  fail  to  surprise  one  at  first  view, 
were  not  the  effect  destroyed  by  the  close  timber  and  underwood  with  which  they 
are  surrounded.  A  bnsin-shaped  cavity,  15  feet  deep  and  120  feet  in  diameter, 
would  immediately  attract  the  eye  of  the  explorer  were  it  properly  exposed.  But 
it  is  not  unusual  to  find  ten  and  twelve  feet  of  decayed  leaves  and  sticks,  filling  a 
trench,  and  no  broken  rock  or  gravel.  In  such  cases  a  fine  red  clay  has  formed 
toAvards  the  txtttom,  a  deposit  from  water,  which  indicates  the  long  period  of  time 
since  the  excavation  was  made. 

From  the  accompanying  map  it  will  be  seen  that  the  positions  of  the  principal 
ancient  mines  correspond  to  tho^c  which  are  worked  at  present.  There  are  three 
groups  or  centres  of  operation  in  both  cases,  one  a  little  below  the  forks  of  the 
Ontonagon  River,  another  at  Portage  Lake,  and  a  third  on  the  waters  of  Eagle 
lliver.  Other  works  are  knoAvn  to  exist,  and  more  will  probably  be  found ;  but  we 
have  probably  discovered  the  most  important  ones  Avithin  the  district  embraced  by 
the  map. 

Although  the  old  works  are  not  always  situated  upon  what  would  be  considered 
good  veins,  yet  they  are  regarded  by  practical  miners  as  pretty  sure  guides  to  valu- 
able lodes. 

In  the  opening  of  our  principal  mines,  we  have  followed  in  the  path  of  our  pre- 
decessors, but  with  much  better  means  of  penetrating  the  earth  to  great  depths. 
The  old  miners  performed  the  part  of  surface  explorers. 

In  giving  detailed  descriptions  of  the  antiquities  of  the  mining  country,  we  shall 
commence  with  those  most  easterly,  near  the  extremity  of  Point  Keweenaw,  and 
proceed  along  the  mineral  range  in  the  ord(>r  of  position  to  tlie  southwest.  There  are, 
liowever,  ancient  works  found  over  a  much  greater  space  than  is  included  in  the  map. 


fi 


AXCIEXT  MIXIXa 


The  veins  on  Isle  Eoyale,  and  near  the  north  shore,  opposite  Point  Keweenaw, 
were  extensively  wrought  in  olden  times. 

In  the  other  direction,  sixty  and  eighty  miles  to  the  southeast,  in  the  iron  region 
near  Marquette  are  remains  that  are  also  ancient,  and  wliich  will  he  noticed  here- 
after. 

No  doubt  future  examinations  will  bring  others  to  notice  on  the  continuation  of 
the  mineral  range  to  the  southwest,  as  it  extends  in  that  direction  into  Wisconsin. 

DESCRIPTIOX  OP  THE  SEVERAL  WORKS. 


1st  Group, 

The  Agate  Harbor  Company  has  an  extensive  property  on  the  range  south  of 
Agate  Harbor,  on  which  there  are  reported  to  be  Iiulian  diggings,  as  these  excav.a- 
tions  are  frequently  called  by  the  miners.  They  are  well  developed  at  the  works 
of  the  Native  Copper  Company,  on  the  northern  slope  of  the  range,  and  on  the 
Northwest  Company's  ^rounds  at  their  mines,  south  of  the  "Greenstone"  cliffs. 
The  same  veins  extend  across  both  these  locations,  a  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half, 
indicated  by  the  presence  of  old  works. 

At  the  Northwest  Mine  the  pits  are  conspicuous,  showing  on  the  surface  the 
position  of  three  veins  that  have  since  been  wrought.  Stone  mauls  were  abundant 
in  them.  Some  of  the  pits  had  been  made  in  a  band  of  red  conglomerate,  which 
lies  between  the  strata  of  greenstone  (or  crjstallinc)  and  amygdaloid  trap.  This 
conglomerate  is  composed  of  pebbles  and  boulders  principally  of  red  trap,  cemented 
by  argillaceous  red  sand,  forming  a  very  compact  stratum,  twelve  to  twenty  feet 
thick.  It  here  carries  copper  in  small  grains  or  pieces,  near  the  veins ;  also  cr}S- 
tallized  calcareous  spar  and  epidote. 

The  ancients  did  not  neglect  tlie  most  trifling  indications  of  metal,  but  appear  to 
have  instituted  a  thorough  investigation  as  to  whether  the  copper  existed  in  true 
veins,  in  metalliferous  baiids,  or  in  detached  nests.  There  is  nothing  remarkable  in 
their  operations  at  the  "Native"  Co])per  and  the  "Northwest"  mines,  except  this 
closeness  of  pursuit,  through  all  the  veins  and  "branches  to  their  most  minute 
extremities. 


Waterhiry  Wnc. — The  works  of  tliis  Company  are  situated  about  one  mile  and 
a  half  west  of  the  Northwest  Mine.  A  person  passing  to  the  interior  from  Eagle 
Harbor  or  anywhere  r^ong  the  northern  shore  of  Point  Keweenaw,  and  crossing 
the  mineral  range  to  tlie  valley  of  the  Little  jSIontreal,  witnesses  everywhere  tlie 
same  topographical  featur(>s.  The  mountain  range  rises  from  the  lake  level,  in  the 
distance  of  a  mile,  to  an  elevation  of  oOO  and  ()()()  feet;  in  the  next  mile  tlie  ascent 
is  less  precipitous,  but  the  ground  continues  to  rise  from  one  to  two  hundred  feet 
more.  From  tlie  summit  of  the  range  there  is  along  tlie  whole  line,  from  the 
extremity  of  the  point  to  the  Albion  location,  two  miles  west  of  th(>  Cliff  Mine,  a 
vertical  wall  of  naked  trap  rudely  colnninar,  tlie  upper  edge,  or  crvxt,  of  which 
forms  the  summit  of  the  range.  This  niin(>riil  front  has  the  ajiiiearance  of  a  vast 
upheaval  from  two  to  three  Imiidicd  feet  higli   fncing  the  soutl:    and  about  thirty 


ON  THE  SHORES  OF  LAKE  SUPERIOR.  7 

miles  in  length.  The  ground  from  the  bottom  of  this  wall  rises  gradually  to  the 
south  until  it  reaches  another  range  of  about  the  same  elevation,  thus  forming  a 
long  narrow  valley,  through  which  flow,  in  opposite  directions,  the  Montreal  and 
Eagle  Rivers.  From  the  summit  of  the  perpendicular  cliif  at  the  Waterbury  Mine 
this  valley  presents  a  view  extremely  picturesque,  and  such  pjs  is  seldom  seen  by 
the  traveller  in  other  regions.  The  general  contour  of  the  valley  is  curvilinear, 
so  that  the  eye,  placed  at  the  middle  of  an  arc  in  the  position  above  mentioned, 
takes  in  the  boimdary  ridge  on  each  side  as  well  as  the  whole  inclosure.  At  the 
Waterbury  Mine,  which  is  situated  near  the  middle  of  the  length  of  the  valley, 
there  is  in  the  face  of  the  vertical  bluff  an  ancient  artificial  recess  or  cavern, 
which  is  twenty-five  feet  in  horizontal  length,  fifteen  feet  high,  and  twelve  feet  in 
depth.  In  front  of  it  is  a  pile  of  the  excavated  rock,  on  wliich  are  now  standing,  in 
full  size,  the  forc;^  trees  common  to  this  region.  Some  of  the  blocks  of  stone  which 
were  removed  from  the  recess  would  probably  weigh  two  or  three  tons,  and  must 
have  required  the  use  of  levers  to  dislodge  them  from  their  original  position, 
lioneath  the  surface  rubbish  the  remains  of  a  gutter  or  trough  composed  of  cedar 
bark  were  discovered,  the  object  of  which  was  clearly  to  conduct  off  the  water  which 
was  baled  from  the  mines  by  wooden  bowls,  of  which  mention  will  be  made  here- 
aftc'.  Portions  of  fine  or  pulverized  copper  scales  remained  in  the  upper  end  of 
this  trough.  After  removing  the  water  and  decayed  leaves  at  the  bottom  of  the 
excavation  a  piece  of  wliite  cedar  timber  was  found,  one  end  of  which  exhibited 
the  marks  of  a  cutting  instrument  like  those  of  a  narrow  axe. 


Fig.  X. 


WATF.Hnrnv  Misk,  artiScial  cavern.— 
('.  Talus  of  the  blndf  and  drift. - 
l>ed. — c  c.  Jointed  chloritic  bed. 
Lreok. 


^1.  Crystallino  or  greeiiRtone  trap,  dipping  S.  28°. — li.  Amygdaloid  trap. — 
II.  Ancient  rock  excavation. — h.  Rubbish  thrown  out  of  «.—  d.  Conglomerate 
— c  r.  Inclined  shaft  of  Waterbury  Company. — 2.  Little  Montreal  River  or 


The  above  profile  is  made  at  right  angles  to  the  bluff,  and  shows  the  geological 
structure  as  seen  from  the  western  side.  It  would  Jinswer  etiuully  well  for  the 
Xort/i,  Wifif,  Xorth  W(:st(  ni,  Edijle  fihrr,  (^Hff.,  or  any  nunc  situated  on  the  southern 
\'mv.  of  the  eoiist  range  of  Point  Keweenaw. 


8 


ANCIENT   MINING 


The  copper  bearing  amygdaloid  (B)  is  separated  from  the  crystixlline  or  "  Green- 
stone" trap  (A)  by  a  parting  of  conglomerate  (</),  which  is  however  sometimes  wanting, 
and  its  place  supplied  by  a  thin  bed  of  red  clay  called  "y?Mca?t  "overlaid  by  a  layer 
of  quartz  carrying  specks  of  copper.  This  parting,  Avhether  it  be  of  red  conglome- 
rate or  of  flucan  and  quartz,  is  kno^vn  as  the  "slide,"  and  sometimes  (though 
improperly)  is  called  a  cross-course.  The  beds  all  dip  northerly  and  at  an  angle  of 
28°.  Resting  immediately  on  the  slide,  and  composing  the  inferior  face  of  the 
greenstone  stratum,  is  a  bed  of  blackish-green  chloritic  rock  (c  c)  very  much  jointed, 
which  contams  between  its  joints,  in  a  leafy  state  and  in  its  mass  in  a  state  more 
solid,  scales,  particles,  and  lumps  of  copper.  This  cliloritic  bed  is  from  12  to  15 
feet  thick,  and  in  it  the  ancients  worked  forming  this  cavern.  They  did  not  operate 
on  a  vein  at  this  place. 

The  Waterbury  Company,  encouraged  by  the  labors  of  their  predecessors,  followed 
from  the  bottom  of  "a"  along  the  surface  of  the  conglomerate  by  an  inclined  shaft 
'■'■E  E"  to  a  depth  of  300  feet,  measuring  on  the  slide. 

In  removing  a  part  of  the  old  burrow  B,  Dr.  Blake  discovered  several  shovels, 
of  white  cedar,  resembling  the  paddles  in  form  now  used  by  the  CJhippeway 
Indians  in  propeUing  their  canoes.  Had  these  been  found  elsewhere,  they  would 
have  been  regarded  as  ordinary  paddles,  but  in  tliis  place  they  had  evidently  been 
used  as  shovels.  This  is  also  evident  from  the  manner  in  which  the  blades  are 
worn,  as  sho^vn  by  the  lines  a  a,  bh,  c  c,  in  the  aimcxed  sketch. 

Kig.  2. 


WooDES  Sbovsl,  3^  feet  long — Waterbury  Mine. — a  a  a.  Original  form. — b  b.  Partially  worn. — c  c.  Worn  obliquely. 


The  blades  are  more  worn  on  the  under  side  than  the  upper,  as  if  the  mineral 
had  been  scraped  togetlier  and  then  shovelled  out,  as  is  the  practice  of  the  miners 
of  the  present  day.  The  shovels  wliich  were  found  beneath  the  water  level  were 
sound  in  appearanro,  and  the  strokes  of  tlic  tool  by  wliicli  they  were  formed 
remained  perfectly  distinct,  but  on  being  dried  they  slirunk  very  much,  opening  in 
long  cracks,  the  wood  retauiing  little  of  its  original  strength  or  liardness. 

A  birch  tree,  t\yo  feet  in  diameter,  grew  directly  over  one  of  these  paddles. 

A  portion  of  a  wooden  scoop,  or  bowl,  was  found  in  the  pit,  evidently  intended 
to  dip  up  and  to  pass  water.  Its  edge  liad  been  worn,  like  the  shovels,  ])y  scraping 
over  liie  rock;  but  it  was  so  much  derayed  tliat  it  fell  to  pieces  when  it  was  taken  out. 

I  examined  the  walls  of  this  cavern  minutely,  hoping  to  find  the  marks  of  sonic 
tool  of  metal.  The  effects  of  blows  of  stone  mauls  were  visil)le,  and  such  is  the 
hardness  of  the  rock,  that  if  drills  or  jiieks  liad  b(>en  riscul  njion  it,  1  think  the 
marks  would  be  easily  seen,  particularly  on  that  part  which  was  protected  from  the 
atmosphere  by  water. 

At  oik;  place  something  r(>sembliiig  th(>  impression  made  by  {\w  point  of  a  light 
sharp  pick  was  discernible,  but  not  very  plain,  and  only  in  a  single  instance. 


ON  THE  SHORES  OF  LAKE  SUPERIOR. 


9 


In  the  Porcupine  Mountains  I  have  seen  works  made  by  the  English  miners  in 
the  years  1769  and  '70,  where  an  adit  or  open  cut  made  in  the  face  of  a  cUff  has 
been  always  exposed  to  tlie  frost  and  rains.  But  here  the  marks  of  picks  and  drills 
appear  as  fresh  and  as  perfect  as  if  they  had  been  recently  made,  although  in  some 
places  the  sides  of  the  cut  are  covered  by  old  lichens  and  mosses. 

Copper  Folia  Location. — The  ancient  miners  made  very  extensive  excavations  on 
the  property  of  the  Copper  Falls  Mining  Company,  both  upon  veins  and  metallife- 
rous bands,  which  run  parallel  with  the  formations.  By  the  profile  and  explanations 
here  given  the  geological  structure  of  the  place  wiU  be  well  understood. 


Fig.  3. 


■?^ft#^l0 


»7 


»ffg>  ,•  /•./  .'-^  bA\^^^ 


lake  Loy^cl-ji; 


I  Trap  rouk.   |6.°o"j''ri°l  Conglomerate  be<la.    \ii-i:)"'-\ 


Skctiox  on  TiiK  CopPEB  Falls  Vbi.v.    Kxplamiliom.- 

S.andstone. — ii  n  ii.  Ancient  pits  on  tlie  vein. — 6  li  h.  Sliafts  and  gallerios  of  tUo  mine. — c.  Sand  duues. — d  d. 
Copper  bearing  bed  of  trap. 

Scale — horiiontal  and  vertical — 2  inches  to  the  mile.     1,  (S,  7,  Nos.  of  tlie  shafts. 


This  sketch  illustrates  the  geology  of  the  northern  part  of  the  range,  or  of  all 
mines  described  under  the  head  of  Copper  Falls  Location. 

From  this  it  will  also  appear  that  wlicn  we  use  the  term  extensive,  as  applied  to 
"Indian  diggings,"  it  is  only  in  a  comparative  sense,  and  in  reference  to  other 
works  of  the  old  minors.  The  levels  and  shafts  constructed  by  the  Copper  Falls 
Mining  Company,  since  1851,  cause  the  mining  of  the  ancients  to  appear  like  mere 
exploratory  pits. 

On  looking  at  the  map,  the  pits  will  be  seen  to  occupy  a  total  length  of  several 
miles  on  this  location;  h\y  none  have  been  reopened  that  had  a  greater  d'jpth  than 
tw(>nty-four  feet,  while  the  modem  shaft  has  already  descended  more  than  250  feet, 
and  the  mine  has  rock  galleries  of  great(>r  total  length  than  all  the  old  trenches  of 
the  ancients.  In  the  profile  their  pits  are  shaded,  and  represented  at  a  a  d,  occupying 
about  half  a  mile  on  the  "East  Vein,"  or  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  the  "Copper 
Fulls  Vein."  Before  they  were  obliterated,  as  tliey  are  in  part  now,  the  surface 
appearaiice  was  that  of  an  irregidar  channel  or  trough  ascending  the  mountain  from 
tlie  edge  of  the  sandstone  beds  to  the  band  (/  </,  which  carries  copper.  Here  a 
system  of  basin-sliaped  cavities,  broad,  circular,  and  de(>p,  crossed  tliose  made  on 
the  vein.     They  are  denoted  by  heavy  black  dots  on  the  map. 

Tlie  first  named  s(>ri(\s  were  from  two  to  five  feet  deep  and  five  to  ten  broad,  and 
the  latter  five  to  eighteen  deep,  with  a  diameter  of  twenty  to  120  feet.  Forest 
trees  and  underbrush  stood  alike  within  and  without  them. 


10 


A  N  C I  E  N  T   M  I  M  N  O 


There  is  u  heavy  vein  lialf  a  mile  west  of  the  East  Vein,  which  is  styled  the 
West  or  the  "Hill  Vein,"  where  the  old  works  are  similar  in  all  respects  to  those 
above  noticed  and  sketched  on  the  East  Vein.  Those  on  the  "Owl  Creek"  Vein 
are  not  so  ext(>nsive,  l)e(;anse  the  cri-ek  occupies  tlu;  "hiick"  of  the  lode.  Still 
further  east  other  veins  are  seen  with  pits,  not  only  on  this  location,  but  on  that  of 
the  Eagle  Harbor  jSIhiing  Company.  Brok(>n  sUmv.  mauls  are  common  in  all  of 
them.  About  the  iroint  where  the  Owl  Creek  crosses  the  "  scoriaccous"  or  metal 
bearing  bed  d  tf,  the  excavations  on  that  bed  near  the  creek  arc  very  marked. 
Here  is  something  similar  to  the  cave  on  the  Waterbury  Location. 

A  very  large  pit  to  the  cast  of  Owl  Creek  was  partially  explored  by  S.  W.  Hill, 
Esq.,  the  Superintendent  of  the  mine,  in  IHo'J.  IJy  nuining  in  an  adit  on  u  level 
eighteen  feet  below  the  edge  of  the  depression,  after  passing  some  distance  in  the 
gravel,  rock  Avas  met  in  place;  cutting  through  this  at  a  distanct*  of  100  feet,  the 
miners  discovered  loose  fragments  and  rubbish  that  had  b(>en  liandled,  and  ])iece8 
of  timber  still  in  good  pn-servation.  The  adit  was  not  deej)  enough  to  drain  the 
pit  to  its  bottom,  and  its  depth  was  not  ascertained.  T  have  in  my  possession  a 
portion  of  a  pine  tree  from  the  end  of  tliis  adit,  in  complete  preservation,  except  a 
part  which  was  charred  by  fire.  Th(>  adjacent  rock  contained  sheet  copper,  and 
small  lumps,  being  a  part  of  the  metalliferous  l)and. 

By  examining  the  section,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  order  of  succession  in  the  striata 
is  as  follows: — 

Beginning  at  tlu;  shore  of  the  lake  first,  a  bed  of  trap,  that  dips  northerly.  It 
rests  upon  a  stratum  of  n(f  cniit/loiiicni/)'  of  great  tliickuess,  dipjdng  conformably 
UTider  the  trap,  and  is  succeeded  Dy  conformable  and  alternating  beds  of  trap  and 
red  sandstone,  known  by  the  geologist  as  tlie  "  I'otsdam"  red. 

Tn  these  beds  tlu;  miiu'ral  veins  an^  not  ricli  euougli  for  working;  a  fact  which 
the  ancients  kiu^w  fidl  well,  for  it  was  only  on  the  regular  and  uniform  strata  of  trap 
underlying  the  variable  beds  that  they  exiu-nded  their  labor. 

On  clearing  out  some  of  the  old  i)its,  Mr.  Hill  found  woo(l(>n  shov(>ls  like  those 
at  the  Waterbury  Mine,  more  or  less  worn  and  of  the  sanu)  size  and  shape.  In 
the  bottom  of  trenches,  and  among  the  nd)bish,  tlie  workmen  saw  continually  ashes 
and  charcoal,  with  other  traces  of  the  presence  of  fire.  Tliey  threw  out  fre([uently 
broken  hammers  or  "mauls,"  with  a  groove  aroiuid  the  middle.  These  maids  weigh 
from  five  to  fifteen  pounds,  and  are  merely  oblong  water-worn  bouldcTS  of  hard, 
tough  rocks.  Nature  has  done  ev(>ryfhing  in  fasliioning  them,  excci)t  the  groove, 
which  was  cliiselled  around  the  middle.  They  w(T(>  collected  from  the  smooth 
boulders  of  the  lake  shore,  and  from  l)aiiks  of  coarse  gravel  that  abound  in  the; 
country.  Most  of  them  are  traj);  but  the  liornljlende,  sienitic  and  granitic  rocks 
furnish  some.  The  ring  or  groove  appears  to  have  been  cut  for  tlie  purpose  of 
attaching  a  witlie,  to  b(>  used  as  a  handle,  when^vitli  to  swing  the  maul.  In  one  of 
the  treiulics  on  the  Cliff  ^line,  nortli  of  tlie  iip])('r  engine,  one  was  found  with  a 
root  of  cedar  still  twisted  in  the  groove,  but  so  miicli  deciiyed  that  it  fell  to  jjieccs 
and  was  not  Inought  away.  Dr.  M.  1).  Senter,  of  tlie  Cliff  .Mine,  states  that  he 
siw  it  bcf(>r(>  lieing  disturlied,  and  it  was  evidently  the  intention  of  the  operators 
to  ii-^e  (lie  twisted  root  or  withe  for  a  handle. 


ON   TIIK    S II  ORES   OF   LAKE    SUPERIOR. 


11 


Most  of  these  hammers  are  fractured  at  lx)th 
ends,  and  tlie  peculiar  sliarp  cut  character  of  the 
fracture  in  many  cases  indicates  that  tlu;  imple- 
ment had  heen  used  to  drive  m(>tallic  wedf^ea,  such 
as  quarrymen  call  a  "gad."  (Copper  gads  of  this 
kind  have  been  found  in  old  pits  at  the  Minnesota 
Mine.  It  will  be  seen  also  that  tliere  are  heavier 
mauls  with  double  grooves,  ])robal)ly  to  be  handled 
by  two  men. 

In  tlie  description  of  works  at  the  Central  Mine, 
a  class  of  hammers  will  be  noticed  without  a  groove.  Tlic 
one  lierc  figured  was  taken  from  a  pit  near  Shaft  No.  1  of 
the  section  above  given.  Not  far  to  the  south  of  the  same 
shaft  was  found  a  copper  spear  or  javelin  head,  in  the  rul)- 
bisli  near  the  bottom.  Three  others  were  found  by  Mr. 
Hill  on  file  surface.  One  of  them  was  so  much  corroded 
that  the  socket  was  nearly  gone.  Tlic  other  I  have  sketched 
of  natural  size  and  thickness,  from  the  orighial  in  the  pos- 
session of  Mr.  Hill.  It  was  evidently  formed  by  beating  the 
metal  while  cold,  probably  between  stones,  liaving  a  rough 
and  not  a  polished  exterior;  it  is  not  much  decayed.  The 
section  of  the  blade  B  sliows  that  its  two  faces  were  not 
symmetrical.  A  piece  of  decayed  wood  was  found  in  tlie 
socket  of  one  of  them,  being  apparently  the  remnant  of  the 
shaft,  by  which  it  was  hurled.  As  the  edges  of  the  "slmnk" 
or  socket  are  not  soldered  together,  but  oidy  bent  around 
the  shaft,  it  was  jwobably  womid  with  some  ligiunent  to  give 
it  strength.  It  is  too  large  and  heavy  for  an  arrow-head; 
neither  has  it  the  shape  proper  for  that  puqwse. 

The  description  h(>re  given  of  the  pits  of  the  east  vein 
will  answer  for  almost  all  others. 

In  working  the  surface  of  the  vein,  or  of  the  copper-bearing 
bed,  the  ancient  operators  must  liave  wrought  open  to  the 
day.  They  no  doubt  commenced  as  low  down  the  sIojm'  of 
the  range  as  the  copper  app(>ared  to  thi'm  worth  Ix'ing  taken 
out,  and  worked  upwards  towards  th(>  scmth,  in  order  to  keep 
tlieir  drainage.  From  their  rude  and  tedious  method  it  was 
of  the  highest  consecpienco  to  cause  the  water  to  flow  away 
behind  them,  withoiit  the  necessity  of  baling. 

The  "attle,"  or  broken  rock,  was  generally  thrown  back 
into  the  vacant  space  whence  it  had  been  taken:  but  little  of 
it  was  cast  out  to  right  and  left  along  the  margin  of  the  vein, 
which  explains  why  the  pits  are  so  shallow  at  the  present  time. 

In  many  plae(>s  on  this  location,  the  vcnn  is  wide  enough  to 
allow  men  to  work  between  its  walls. 


Fig.  4. 


Stonb  Hammrr  on  MAri.,  with  one  gmnvp, 
niul  brokun  liy  umi;  Icngtli  7  iiiulii-H. 
(.'opper  Kalln  Mini!. 


Fig.  S. 


Pp 


Coi'PER  SpRAII-HKAt)— Clipper 

Fulls  Mini>. — H.  Swtioii  of 
Mailo  .it  (■  il.  .1.  Sectiiinof 
Kliaiik  nl  "  '■.  .SmIii.  full 
Bin-. 


13 


ANCIENT   MINING 


Thin  sheets  of  copper  were  left  standinf?  at  the  bottom  of  the  ancient  excavation, 
which  might  readily  have  been  extracterl,  and  it  seems  smgiUar  tliat  they  were  not. 

Central  Mne. — Near  the  road  from  the  "North  Western"  to  the  "Winthrop" 
Mine,  in  an  open  grove  of  sugar  trees,  a  depression  was  observed  about  five  feet 
deep  and  thirty  feet  in  length.  It  was  generally  free  from  water,  and  differed  so 
little  from  cavities  that  are  not  artificial,  but  which  are  due  to  geological  causes, 
that  it  did  not  attract  much  attention. 

Mr.  John  Slawson,  the  agent  of  the  North  Western  Mine,  after  a  careful  surface 
examination,  concluded  that  this  pit  was  not  wholly  due  to  nature,  and  the  tract 
was  on  that  accoxmt  purchased  for  mining,  in  the  fall  of  1854. 


Fig.  «. 


CKNTRAt  MiNB.  Section  of  tho  vein  and  old  pit.     East  and  weat.— yl  A.  Trap  rook  wall  of  the  vein  d  d. — a.  Ancient 
excavation  partly  fllled. — <•  c  Masses  of  native  copper  in  the  vuin. — 6  ft.  Drift  gravel  covering  the  rooks. 

The  Central  Mining  Company  having  been  organized,  a  drain  was  constructed  to 
take  off  the  water,  which  was  no  sooner  done  than  all  doubts  were  removed;  about 
five  feet  in  depth  of  leaves  and  rotten  sticks  had  accumulated  at  the  bottom,  among 
which  a  hard  substance  could  be  felt  with  a  stick. 

This  proved  to  be  a  flat  piece  of  native  copper  C,  from  five  to  nine  inches  thick,  and 
nine  feet  in  length,  forming  part  of  a  large  vein  d  d,  as  sho^vn  in  the  profile.  The 
vein  material  had  been  worked  away  from  one  foot  to  eighteen  inches  lUong  side  of 
it,  and  it  extended  forward  as  well  as  do^vnward  in  the  vein.  Its  upper  edge  had 
been  beaten  by  the  stone  mauls  so  severely,  that  a  lip,  or  projecting  rim,  had  been 
formed,  which  was  bent  downwards,  over  the  sides.  A  large  number  of  broken 
mauls  were  found  in  the  place,  and  around  it  on  the  surface,  all  of  them  without 
grooves,  of  which  the  annexed  woodcut  is  an  illustration. 

I  have  seen  similar  ones  on  the  Humboldt  Location,  next  west  of  Copper  Falls. 
WTiere  this  class  of  stone  hammers  is  found,  those  with  grooves  are  wanting.  The 
grooveless  ones  appear  to  have  been  used  for  percussion  only  at  one  end,  as  though 
the  manner  of  holding  them  was  such  that  a  blow  was  not  given  on  the  other. 

The  Peruvians  have  a  copper  axe  without  an  eye,  or  a  groove,  to  which,  how- 
ever, they  attach  a  handle  in  the  form  of  a  split  stick,  bound  with  thongs.  The* 
ancient  miners,  probably,  had  some  such  mode  of  tying  a  handle  to  these  smooth 


ON  THE  SHORES  OF  LAKE  SUPERIOR. 


13 


oblong  stones.  Different  parties  of  men  may  have  preferred  tools  of  different  kinds, 
which  would  account  for  mauls,  which  are  seen  at  one  mine,  being  among  them- 
selves alike,  but  dissimilar  to  those  at  other  places. 


Fig.  7. 


Bbobkn  UtkVh,  Cbhtbal  Mine. — Without  groove,  J  siie,  weigUt  S|  lbs. 

The  usual  remains  were  here  thrown  out,  consisting  of  charcoal,  ashes,  and  broken 
wall  rock. 

The  general  bearing  of  the  vein  is  10°  or  12°  west  of  north.  The  section  is 
made  across  it,  east  and  west,  looking  south,  and  is  vertical. 

As  the  labor  of  uncovering  the  mass  of  copper  progressed,  another  one  was  met 
with,  overlapping  the  first,  and  adliering  to  the  cast  wall.  Further  on,  in  the  adit, 
a  third  mass  was  found,  attached  to  the  western  wall,  partly  overlapping  the  one 
which  the  ancients  had  left. 

By  sloping  out  a  space  about  sixty  feet  in  length  by  twenty  deep,  on  the  vein, 
the  Company  took  out  fifty-three  tons  of  mass  copper.  Such  unwieldy  pieces 
ajjpear  to  have  been  beyond  the  control  of  the  old  miners.  Their  object  seems  to 
have  been  to  secure  small  lumps,  such  as  could  be  fashioned  without  melting. 
Whatever  pieces  might  have  been  detached,  by  diligent  poimding  with  their  stone 
mauls,  were  broken  off,  and  the  remainder  was  abandoned. 

It  was  impossible  for  them  to  cut  into  pieces,  reduce  by  melting,  raise  from  the 
l)it,  or  transport  blocks  of  metal  weighing  many  tons.  There  are  neither  marks  of 
!i  futiing  tool  upon  them,  nor  of  the  action  of  fire.  It  is  quite  singular  that  they 
had  not  discovered  the  art  of  melting  copper,  which  can  be  effected  so  easily  in  an 
open  fire  made  of  wood,  but  no  evidences  have  fallen  under  our  notice  tliat  this 
was  done  by  that  ancient  race. 


14 


ANCIENT  MINING 


I 


2d  Group. 

Portage  Lake  Region. 

Qtiincy  and  Pewahic  Mines, — Portage  Lake  resembles  in  form  the  long,  narrow, 
and  crooked  Scottish  lochs.  Like  them  its  quiet  surface  reflects  the  outlines  of 
most  exquisite  scenery. 

It  connects  with  Lake  Superior  through  the  channel  of  Sturgeon  River,  which 
has  so  little  descent  below  the  point  of  junction,  that  all  material  changes  in  the 
level  of  the  great  lake  are  felt  throughout  this  inland  water. 

The  Quincy  landing  is  situated  on  the  north  side  of  Portage  Lake,  about  twenty 
miles  from  Keweenaw  Bay.  The  northern  shore,  which  is  nearly  east  and  west  at 
the  landing,  docs  not  show  rocks  at  the  water  level. 

A  succession  of  drift,  knolls,  points,  and  headlands,  rising  about  200  feet  above 
the  surface,  overlook  this  shore.  Above  this  elevation,  and  attaining  a  height  of 
500  to  600  feet,  are  seen  projecting  ledges  and  blufFs  of  trap  rock,  inclosing  mineral 
veins.  This  rock  is  also  visible  at  the  heads  of  ravines  where  rivulets  fall  over  low 
precipices  forming  small  cataracts. 

The  first  signs  of  ancient  excavations  occur  near  the  lake  level,  and  what  is 
remarkable,  are  not  in  the  rock,  but  in  the  sand  and  Imdder  "  drift." 

Fig.  8. 


AltciRST  Pits  in  tuk  noriDRn  IlBitt  or  Oravrl,  QnixrT  LuCATinir. 


The  most  capacious  of  these  gravel  pits,  however,  occur  on  a  line  nearly  level 
and  about  100  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water. 


ON   THE   SUORES   OP   LAKE   SUP  Ell  10 11. 


15 


They  arc  partly  upon  the  land  of  the  Quincy  Mining  Company  and  in  part  on 
the  Pcwttbic,  a  short  distance  east  of  the  landing,  as  shown  in  the  sketch.  Those 
constituting  the  upper  scries  are  even,  broad,  deep,  and  regular,  having  the  appear- 
ance of  old  fortifications.  They  extend  around  the  headlands  of  gravel,  connecting 
adjacent  ravines,  as  though  the  object  was  to  bring  water  from  the  rivulets  along 
the  face  of  the  bluff. 

At  the  points  of  the  ridges  they  arc  much  broader  and  deeper  than  they  arc  at 
the  heads  of  the  ravines.  The  resemblance  to  a  race  way,  or  "sluice"  for  running 
water,  is  such  that  it  required  much  examination  to  convince  me  that  they  had 
not  been  used  for  that  purpose.  There  are,  however,  no  openings  at  the  extremi- 
ties, such  as  would  have  been  the  case  in  sluices,  to  admit  and  discharge  water. 
A  bench,  or  narrow  terrace,  breaking  into  the  slope  of  the  hill,  forms  a  regular 
plateau  for  the  uppermost  group ;  the  other  groups  being  scattered  along  the  slope 
at  irregular  intervals.  Some  of  them  extend  down  the  declivity  nearly  to  the 
water's  edge.  Pits  of  a  peculiar  shape  arc  occasionally  seen  to  the  westward  of 
the  landing,  particularly  at  the  distance  of  about  a  mile.  Here  is  a  group  of  small 
ones  covering  several  acres  on  a  piece  of  level  land,  which  is  elevated  about  200 
feet  above  the  lake,  constituting  one  of  the  upper  drift  terraces. 

There  are  no  doubt  many  others,  large  and  small,  concealed  by  the  thick  brush 
wood  with  which  the  ground  is  covered.  Mr.  C.  C.  Douglass,  formerly  an  assistant 
of  Dr.  Houghton,  in  the  geological  survey  fif  the  Upper  Peninsula,  and  since  for 
many  years  the  superintendent  of  the  Quincy  and  Isle  Royalc  Mining  Companies, 
states  that  lumps  of  water-rolled  copper  and  small  masses  are  frequently  foimd  on 
both  sides  of  the  lake  in  this  drift  grixvcl.  In  digging  cellars,  constnicting  roads, 
and  exploring  trenches,  such  pieces  are  so  common,  that  it  has  been  thought  that 
tliey  would  pay  for  their  collection  by  washing  the  earth.  One  mass  of  1500 
poiuids  weight  was  found  in  digging  a  cellar  where  there  is  no  rock  visible  in  place. 

To  obtain  this  transported  mineral,  Mr.  Douglass  conjectures  to  have  been  the 
object  which  the  ancients  pursued  in  their  gravel  trenches,  and  at  the  same  time, 
tluvt  they  selected  from  the  water-worn  boidders  of  the  coarse  drift  such  stones  as 
had  the  proper  size  and  shape  for  mauls,  to  be  used  in  the  adjacent  rock  excava- 
tions. 

The  earth  from  the  trenches  near  the  landing,  on  the  slopes,  was  principally 
thrown  out  over  the  hneer  side,  forming  embankments  with  an  extreme  height  of 
lift(;en  fecst  above  the  bottom  of  the  ditch  as  it  remains  now  after  the  lapse  of 
centuries. 

Some  of  the  ditches  arc  fifty  feet  wide  at  the  present  time. 

The  beds  of  trap,  constituting  the  minend  range,  at  this  place,  have  a  total 
thickness  of  about  a  mile  and  a  half,  presenting  the  ends  of  the  strata  towards 
tlu>  lake.  To  reach  the  rock  excavation  of  tlie  ancients,  it  is  necessary  to  follow 
a  road  from  the  landing  up  the  mountain  three-quart<'rs  of  a  mile  to  the  north- 
east. Here  the  copper  bearing  rocks  protrude  from  the  soil  in  ledges ;  the 
ititervals  when;  no  rock  is  setn  being  cov(>red  to  a  slight  d(>i)th  with  earth. 
The  veins  of  this  part  of  the  range  liave  a  direction  different  from  those  l)efore 
described  on  Point  Keweenaw.     Thiv  have  run  with  the  formation,  and  not  at 


16 


ANCIENT   MINING 


III 


I'l. 


right  angles  to  it,  like  those  at  the  CliflF,  Copper  Falls,  Northwest,  and  other  neigh- 
boring mines.  The  true  lodes  of  the  Quincy,  Pewabic,  Isle  lioyale.  Portage,  Huron, 
and  other  companies  adjacent  to  Portage  Lake,  are  cidled  "■parallels,"  while  those 
further  east  belong  to  the  system  of  "  transverse"  veins. 

In  the  winter  of  1854-5,  after  the  land  had  been  explored  and  worked  ten  years, 
a  line  of  depressions  was  discovered  on  the  summit  of  the  range  that  attracted 
immediate  attention.  On  this  elevated  ground  the  old  operators  had  discovered 
and  worked  a  rich  deposit  of  copper  which  was  nowhere  visible  upon  the  surface. 
The  direction  of  the  line  of  pits  is  northeast  and  southwest,  corresponding  with 
the  range. 

The  mines  now  in  operation  on  this  lode  are  among  the  richest  of  I^akc  Superior. 

At  first  view  the  excavations  appeared  to  be  irregular,  like  those  in  the  gravel  at 
the  foot  of  the  bluffs,  but  after  clearing  away  tl:-,^  growing  timber,  they  assumed  an 
allignment  such  as  I  have  given  on  the  map.  There  are  also  veins  in  the  vicinity 
that  have  a  bearing  different  from  the  general  course  of  the  pits. 

When  the  cavities  came  to  be  opened,  it  was  evident  that  a  deposit  of  great 
richness  had  been  worked  there  in  past  times.  Lumps  of  copper  W(<rc  found  plen- 
tifully in  the  bottom  of  the  old  works,  and  with  them  the  usual  evidences  of  ancient 
mining.     The  pits  are  broad  and  deep,  extending  not  far  from  half  a  mile. 

Isle  Eoyale  Location. — This  is  on  flic  south  side  of  Portage  Lake.  Here  the 
ground  docs  not  rise  so  high  as  on  the  north  side,  but  is  equally  abrupt.  The  first 
escarpment  on  this  side  is  rocky,  its  crest  being  reached  by  an  ascent  of  300  feet. 
The  mming  companies  which  have  penetrated  the  rocky  strata  to  a  depth  of  at 
least  250  feet,  are  the  Isle  lioyale,  Portage,  Huron,  and  A  Ibion ;  all  of  them  on  the 
same  vein,  and  situated  near  the  south-easterly  edge  of  the  mineral  range.  The 
beds  in  which  these  companies  have  worked  are,  therefore,  geologically,  nearly  a 
viile  lower  than  those  of  the  Quincy  and  Pewabic,  which  are  near  the  westerly  or 
north-westerly  side  of  the  range.  It  was,  therefore,  in  different  ground  that  the 
ancients  sought  for  copper  on  the  southerly  side  of  the  lak(}. 

After  having  attained  the  summit  of  the  lake  front  on  this  shore,  we  find  the 
land  nearly  level  for  the  distance  of  a  mile,  and  the  rocks  covered  with  a  shallow 
depth  of  earth.  On  this  plateau  the  imcients  discovered  a  rich  lode  that  did  not 
show  itself  on  the  surface. 

In  the  autumn  of  1851,  Mr.  Douglass  informed  me  that  there  were  indistinct 
signs  of  old  works,  half  a  mile  from  the  lake  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section 
1,  T.  53,  II.  34,  owned  by  the  Isle  lioyale  Mining  Company.  At  the  request  of  the 
directors  of  tlie  company,  a  close  rtcoimoissance  of  the  ground  was  immediately 
made  by  myself.  It  required  some  assistance  of  the  imaginati(m  to  conceive  that 
the  slight  and  irregular  depressions,  wliich  were  dimly  visible  among  the  trees,  Avere 
the  works  of  men.  Applying  a  c:ompas3  to  such  of  them  as  could  be  seen  at  one 
view,  and  carrying  tliis  line  forward,  it  passed  over  or  near  the  successive  pits  for  a 
distance  of  onothird  of  a  mile.  We  then  set  men  to  work  to  cnt  down  a  cross 
trench  through  one  of  them,  and  in  a  few  hours  reached  the  bottom.  The  vein 
and  its  walls  were  distinctly  visible,  having  been  worked  out  to  a  depth  of  ten  feet. 


ON  THE  SHORES  OP  LAKE  SUPERIOR. 


17 


but  the  space  was  filled  with  rubbish  nearly  to  the  surface.  Further  examination, 
and  cross  trenching,  disclosed  the  vein  along  a  distance  of  three  quarters  of  a  mile, 
in  places  very  broad,  with  a  bearing  coincident  to  that  of  the  formation. 

It  has  now  been  worked  to  a  depth  of  250  feet,  producing  copper  in  rich  masses, 
over  a  space  twenty  feet  in  thickness.  n  these  w'de  places  or  pockets  the  early 
miners  enlarged  their  pits  to  correspond,  and  carried  their  works  to  greater  depths. 
Charcoal,  broken  mauls,  and  ashes  arc  mixed  with  the  black  earth  and  rocky  frag- 
ments of  the  pits. 

3d  Group. 

Minnesota  Mine. — As  I  have  before  stated,  it  was  upon  this  location  that  the  exist- 
ence of  mines,  long  since  wrought,  on  Lake  Superior  was  first  made  known  to  us. 
It  is  here,  also,  that  the  most  extensive  and  interesting  works  of  tliat  kind  are  to  be 
found. 

The  Minnesota  lodes  have  a  direction  like  those  at  Portage  Lake,  and  different 
from  those  at  Point  Keweenaw.  The  veins  about  the  forks  of  the  Ontonagon, 
crabracing  a  district  of  forty-five  miles  in  length,  on  the  mineral  range,  from  the 
Douglass  Houghton  Mine,  on  the  cast,  to  the  Akogcbe  Luke,  on  the  west,  rim  with 
the  range,  and  not  across  it.  Their  bearing  is,  therefore,  north-easterly  and  south- 
westerly, or  about  N.  54°  East. 

Fig.  9. 


MiN!«BmT*  MtNR.     Section  RcroRS  tlio  Vein,  looking  from  the  easterly  <iuarter.     N.  30-  W.— 7?  Ti.  Mineral  vein 

illpping  north. — A  A.  Wall  rock  of  compact  trap u.  n.  Left  standing  a  part  of  the  original  surface  support 

to  the  hanging  wall. — m.  Mass  of  copper  sastaiued  by  timbers. — b.  Ancient  burrow  or  spoil  bank. — c  «.  Vein 
matter  embracing  masses  of  coj>per  n  n. 

On  the  Minnesota  there  is  a  group  of  veins  nearly  parallel  among  themselves, 
four  in  number,  and  on  all  these  the  ancients  labored.     The  surface  presents  a  cot' 


18 


ANCIENT  MINING 


W 


n  <luig  group  (if  Hide  trcncluis,  Nliowiug  the  poBitioii  i)f  tlu"  vciiiH,  for  more  than 
two  .uite.  I'he  ground  ritt.  d  lynracluiiUy  to  u  luiglit  of  tiiH  ivvi  above  the  lake,  but 
on  the  south  drops  suddenly  oti  -ito  a  deep  valley.  The  Ontonagon  llivir  cuts  the 
range  two  and  a  lialf  miles  west  of  the  mine,  being  navigabli  for  batti;aux  to  the 
landing. 

lu  the  above  section,  across  the  main  lode,  I  have  grouiH?d  together  several 
reiijarkable  objects,  that  ^\  e  seen  near  each  other,  thougli  not  strictly  in  contact. 
The  descriptions  and  sketclies  are  in  part  due  to  Mr.  Knapp,  partly  to  Messrs.  Foster 
and  Whitney,  and  also  to  my  personal  examinations. 

The  vein  fi  B  has  a  variable  thickness  from  one  to  nine  feet,  dipping  northerly,  at 
an  angle  of  about  60°  with  the  horizon.  This  is  somewhat  steeper  than  the  dip  ci 
the  strata,  or  wall  rock,  A  A.  On  some  of  the  veins,  the  excavations  extend  Mst- 
ward,  out  of  the  ^Minnesota,  into  the  grounds  of  the  llockland  Mining  Compi  '.y 
where  they  are  very  distinct.  Ueing  upon  the  southerly  slope  of  the  moaiii^in,  the 
ditches  have  become  very  much  filled  up  by  washing  from  the  surface.  'I  he  ;,.catest 
depth  of  the  ancient  excavation  is  thirty  feet.  At  the  place  of  the  above  section 
the  vein  had  been  removed  to  a  depth  of  twenty-six  feet. 

Not  fiir  below  the  apparent  bottom  of  a  trougli-like  cavitj  ^vhere  shaft  No,  one  is 
now  situated,  among  a  mass  of  leaves,  sticks,  and  water,  Mr.  Knapp  discovered  a 
detached  mass  of  copper  weighing  nearly  six  tons.  It  lay  upon  a  cob  work  of  round 
logs  or  skids  six  to  eight  inches  in  diameter,  the  ends  of  which  showed  plainly  the 
strokes  of  a  small  axe  or  cutting  tool  about  2 J  inches  wide.  These  marks  were 
perfectly  distinct.  A  piece  of  this  wood  which  I  took  from  the  mine  in  18-49  proved 
to  be  a  species  of  oak,  the  only  siK'cies  known  upon  the  range,  and  by  some  calliul 
the  Spanish  oak.  It  shruiiH  .i  drying  to  a!)out  two-thirds  of  its  size,  cracking  open 
in  deep  gashes,  and  possessed  little  strength.  Its  appearance  was  that  of  water- 
soaked  timber  not  rotted,  preserving  its  original  form. 

The  mass  of  copper  had  been  raised  several  feet  along  the  foot  wall  of  the  lode, 
on  the  timbers,  by  means  of  wedges.  Its  upper  surface  and  edges  were  beaten  and 
pounded  smooth,  all  the  irregularities  taken  off,  and  aroiuxd  the  outside  a  rim  or  lip 
was  formed,  bending  downwards.  This  work  had  apparently  been  done  after  the 
miners  had  concluded  to  abandon  the  mass.  Such  copper  as  could  be  separated  by 
their  tools  was  thus  broken  oflf.  The  beaten  surface  was  smooth  and  polished,  not 
rough.  Near  it  were  found,  as  the  excavation  advanced,  other  masses,  n  n,  imbedded 
in  the  vein.  After  several  years,  this  vein  has  be  v.  found  by  the  modem  miners 
uncommonly  rich  and  valua^'f^  for  the  size  and  nuint'  r   .f  iJ"  masses  o**  "'>"per. 

Not  far  to  the  west  of  this  spot  a  portion  of  ;    .       had  bee.i  left  like  a 

pillar  as  a  support  to  the  hanging  wdl,  wliile  they  excavated  bc>neath.  It  is  cut  or 
bruised  quite  smooth,  but  shows  no  marks  of  other  tools  than  the  mauls.  This 
rocky  support  is  about  four  feet  in  thickness,  and  is  high  enough  above  the  present 
bottom  of  the  trench  to  allow  a  person  to  ])ass  under  it.  The  marks  of  fire  on  the 
'■icks  of  the  walls  are  still  evident.  Charcoai,  ashes,  and  stone  mauls  arc  found  in  all 
.  :ho  p'tH  .  .tlierto  <;leaTied  out.  One  of  th(>  heaviest  mauls  yet  seen,  weighing  thirty- 
sir  .x);:i  Is,  came  from  this  location.  It  hiis  a  double  groove,  as  shown  hi  the  annexed 
iigiire,  which  is  do;  usual,  and  it  was  intended,  no  doubt,  to  be  usetl  by  two  men. 


ON   THE   SIIOUES   OF    LAKE   8UPEFUOU. 


19 


FlfT.   II 


FlK.  U. 


1 


STom  Madl,  with  doaMt*  proovi's.- 
HiunesolA  Hiiio. 


-Woigiit  ;)K  ibii. 


In  one  of  tlic  pits  a  rude  ladder  was  found, 
formed  of  an  oiik  tree  trimmed  so  as  to  leave 
the  stumps  of  the  branrhtss  projecting,  on 
which  meft  could  readily  descfnd  or  ascend 
to  or  from  their  work.  Wood.n  levers  are 
also  found  among  the  rubbish,  i  fscrved  by 
water,  which  covered  them  com  nually. 

On  the  edge  of  the  excavatioi  in  which 
the  mass  m  was  found  there  stooi  an  aged 
hemlock,  the  roots  of  which  extend  <l  across 
the  ditch.  1  counted  the  rings  oi  annual 
growth  on  its  stump,  and  found  thcin  to  be 
two  hundred  and  ninety.  Mr.  Kna]),)  men- 
tions another  tree  which  had  three  hundred 
and  ninety-five.  The  fallen  and  d(>i  ayed 
trunks  of  trees  of  a  previous  gcner  tion 
were  seen  lying  across  the  pits. 

Near  the  place  where  the  detached  r  lass 
m  was  found  Mr.  Hill  discovered  a  too  of 
which  the  following  is  a  sketch,  and  nea.  it 
a  copper  maul  or  sledge  weighing  fn  m 
twenty  to  twenty-five  pounds.  Like  all  t  ■ 
other  implements  found  this  maul  had  bee 
fashioned  by  pounding  in  a  cold  state 
Originally  the  mass  appeared  to  have  had 
the  shape  of  the  letter  T,  the  cross  hi'ad  at 
the  top  being  about  an  inch  thick  and  two 
or  three  inches  broad,  tapering  towards  each 
end.  These  two  prongs  had  been  folded 
over  each  othi^r  and  beaten  into  a  shape 

rudely  resembling  a  man's  fist,  but  larger.  Tl  is  lump  of  copper  had  evidently  been 
battered  either  by  pounding,  to  make  it  more  compact,  or  by  use  us  a  mauL  The 
handle  of  the  maul  wius  eight  or  nine  inches  long. 


roppRB  CiiMBt.  Fnll  alie.— Length  7^ 
in.;  hivailth  \\  in.;  tliioknesi  J 
iu.     Miuuenota  Mine. 


View  edge- 
vise. 


20 


ANCIRNT   MINING 


The  chisel  above  figured  was  somewhat  bruised  at  the  upper  end,  as  though  it 
had  been  used.  Towards  the  upper  end  the  comers  are  taken  off,  apparently  for 
the  purpose  of  being  held  in  one  hand,  while  it  was  struck  by  a  mallet  with  the 
other.  It  has  a  rough  surface,  common  to  these  relics,  but  is  symmetrical  in  form, 
with  a  bevel  at  the  cutting  edge  on  botli  sides.  None  of  the  tools  shoAV  signs  of 
having  been  ground  to  an  edge  on  stone ,  but  are  lieatcu  down  roughly  by  hammers. 

Artificial  Caverns, — On  the  Aztec,  Ohio,  Adventure,  and  llidge  locations,  in 
addition  to  the  pits  which  arc  so  common  along  the  range,  there  are  caviti(^s  in  tlie 
mural  faces  of  trap  at  various  elevations,  which  are  ancient  and  belong  to  the  old 
copper  works. 

Tlic  bluffs  are  sometimes  as  high  as  three  lumdrcd  feet  above  the  valley.  Then* 
are  also  breaks  or  gajjs  in  the  range  formed  by  dislocations  of  the  strata  or  faidts, 
enlarged  by  the  wearing  action  of  the  drift  forces.  The  ends  of  different  beds  of 
trap  are  thus  presented  to  view,  rising  on  either  side  of  the  gorges,  with  precipitous 
fronts  of  different  heights.  One  of  the  strata,  and  perhaps  more  than  one,  is 
metalliferous,  like  the  scoriaceous  bed  worked  at  Copper  Falls  and  at  Phujnix 
Mines,  on  Point  Keweenaw.  At  the  Adventure  the  metal  bearing  stratum  is  very 
thick  and  highly  charged  with  copper,  disseminated  irregularly  through  it.  The 
ancients  ,vrought  upon  it  extensively,  seeking  with  assiduity  for  the  rich  portions, 
no  matter  liow  difficult  of  access.  Some  of  their  excavations  on  the  side  of  the 
bluff  are  scarcely  large  enougli  to  shelter  a  bear.  Others  are  more  extensive, 
formed  in  all  concei\ablc  shapes,  extending  wherever  indications  of  minerals  were 
apparent.  The  agents  of  tlie  Adventure  Mine  have  followed  the  example  of  their 
predecessors,  but  on  a  larger  scale,  pursuing  the  strings  and  bunches  of  copper  in 
all  directions,  till  they  disappear.  AVlien  the  mineral  fails,  like  the  ancients  they 
strike  off  at  random,  and  seldom  proceed  far  without  encountering  other  lumps  or 
small  masses. 

Hitherto  the  true  veins  near  tlie  copper  bearing  stratum  have  not  proved  profit- 
able. Tlie  ancients,  exercising  their  usual  skill,  expended  very  little  labor  \\\nm 
th(>m.  They  showed  in  tliis  very  considerable  knowledge  respecting  the  different 
systems  of  veins,  and  also  in  regard  to  those  anomalous  deposits  in  wliicli  tlie  caves 
are  situated. 


Forest  Mine,  Eperfjreen  Bluffs.— On  the  ground  known  by  the  name  of  tlie  Ever- 
green Bluffs  ancient  pits  have  been  opened  soiitlieasterly  of  tfie  Minnesota  works. 
Some  prominent  ones  have  rec(-ii(Iy  {IHih))  been  cleared  out  on  the  "Joliiisou 
preemption,"  wliidi  disclosed  in  a  few  days  several  tons  of  cojiper.  Miusses  had 
been  partly  uncovered  in  the  vein,  as  at  the  Central  Mine,  and  thus  left.  On  the; 
Nebraska  location  and  on  the  Rockland,  tli(>  old  (Excavations  are  numerous,  and 
wherever  they  are  reopened  valuable  lodes  are  exposed.  They  are  not  wanting  on 
the  west  of  the  river.  At  the  Forest  Mine  the  present  works  were  comm(>nced 
ui)()n  tlie  site  of  earlier  and  ancient  operations.  A  wooden  bowl  was  found  near 
tli(>  bottom  of  one  of  them,  that  had  been  used  for  baling.  l)onl)tless  many  others 
ill  the  vicinity  of  tlw  Oiitoiiiigoii  exist  that  are  not  yet  discovered. 


ON  THE  SHORES  OF  LAKE  SUPERIOR 

T'g-  12.  Fig.  14. 


n.iii. 
B«otIon  on  a  h,  full  size. 


,\\N 


:i. 


.W^v 


'^1 


N' 
i 


Fig.  13. 


Copper  (Un,  full  niae. 
MiimuxoU  Mlue. 


\^^^  2.1-0.. 

Section  on  c  d,  fall  size. 


Tiiilii]' 


\  \ 


i 


n:Ti' 


A 


(K 


^  ,  '! 


...I 


t 


\ 


21 


HpRAR  IlKAn.— Half  size.  14  inoIicR 
loii^.  Ontonagon.  From  dntw- 
Ings  of  John  1''.  Miillowiify, 
Ka(|.,  Siirvf^or. 


CmsEi.. — Ilnlfaizp.  13  Indies 
long.     Ontonagon. 


}  it 


22 


ANCIENT   MINING 


Copper  Implt'mejits,  Ontonajtm. — Some  Ifiborcrs  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Greenfield 
were  levelling  'le  ground  for  a  brick  yard  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Ontonagon  River, 
half  a  mile  above  the  village,  in  the  year  1854,  when  they  perceived  some  pieces 
of  copper,  which  were  well  fashioned  implements.  They  arc  said  to  liave  been 
found  upon  a  bed  of  clay  in  a  ravine,  and  covered  about  two  feet  with  alluvisil 
earth,  a  large  cedar  tree  growing  nearly  over  the  spot.  They  consist  of  two  imple- 
ments, which  may  be  described  as  s\)<mx  or  javelin  heads,  though  more  probably 
designed  as  miners'  tools;  and  two  cutting  instruments  that  may  properly  be  called 
chisels,  as  sho>vn  in  the  annexed  sketches.  These  show  the  form  and  size  better 
than  any  written  description.  The  socket  of  the  spear  is  small,  and  not  of  the  best 
shape  to  give  a  good  fastening  to  a  staff,  which  may  perhaps  favor  the  idea  that  it 
was  a  weapon  for  the  use  of  one  hand,  like  a  dirk.  The  blade  is  symmetrical  and 
strong;  it  apparently  had  not  been  much  bruised  or  injured  by  use.  If  it  was  to 
be  thrown  like  a  javelin,  the  stock  or  staff  must  have  been  fitted  on  around  the 
Bhank  and  driven  down  over  the  blade  some  distance,  to  make  the  wooden  attach- 
ment proportionally  strong  with  the  metal  part. 

The  chisel  also  had  not  been  used,  since  neither  the  cutting  edge  nor  the  head 
is  battered.  It  is  bent  up  longitudinally  from  near  each  end  in  the  manner 
shown  by  the  cross  section  in  c  d.  The  object  in  giving  it  this  form  must  have 
been  to  stiffen  it  and  thus  save  metal.  This  contrivance  speaks  well  for  the  inge- 
nuity of  the  maker.  Those  instruments  have  better  proportions  than  sinilar  ones 
found  in  Ohio.  They  were  probably  fresh  from  the  hands  of  the  workman  when 
they  were  lost  upon  the  banks  of  the  river.  Although  I  have  myself  exaniined 
these  implements,  I  am  indc^bted  to  Messrs.  Emerson,  Coburn,  and  MuUowney  for 
facts  respecting  them.  Both  are  r(^presentcd  to  be  more  hard  and  less  malleable 
than  the  native  copper  of  the  mines,  from  which  it  has  been  inferred  that  they  have 
undergone  a  hardening  process.  I  jike  those  found  at  INIarquettc  and  elsewhere,  I 
suppose  the  hardness  is  due  only  to  prolonged  hannnering,  by  which  the  d(msity  is 
increased.  The  copper  of  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Europe  was  hardened  by 
alloying  it  with  tin. 

Copper  Imphine)its,  Carp  Hirer.  (Not  on  the  Map.) — In  August,  1854,  while 
workmen  were  engaged  for  ]Mr.  Jolin  Rurt  in  making  a  dam  across  the  Carp 
River  near  ]\Iarquette,  signs  of  copper  were  discovered  in  gravel.  They  were 
wheeling  earth  from  the  banks  of  the  stream,  and  did  not  at  first  preserve  the 
remains  that  were  visible  in  the  form  of  spots  of  green  carbonate,  which  on  exam- 
ination presented  a  core  of  unoxidized  metal.  Mr.  Biu't  states  that  tliere  were 
num(>rous  thin  chips  of  cojtijer  not  entirely  decayed,  which  apjx'ared  to  have  been 
cut  from  a  piece  of  native  metal  by  a  shar])  and  thin  tool.  There  was  also  found  a 
rude  copper  knife,  the  sha-.ik  two  and  a  hiilf  inclu^s,  and  (he  blade  four  and  a  half 
in  length,  making  seven  inches.  The  blade  reseml)Ies  in  siiajK'  a  short  butcher 
knife  very  nnu'h  worn.  It  has  si)ots  of  native  silver  imbedded  hi  it  like  those 
frecpiently  seen  in  Lake  Sui>erior  speeinieiis  of  copper. 

Another  tool  resembles  a  Ixxlkiii,  with  a  socket  for  the  insertion  of  a  wooden 
handle.  There  were  also  arrow  or  spear  heads  of  c()])per,  wliich  were  jtroltably 
made  upDU  llir  spot.     These  relics  wvw  Ijing  upon   :i  bed  of  will*  r-\Viisli(  tl  p;ravei. 


m 


ON  THE  SHORES  OP  LAKE  SUPERIOR. 


23 


ro 

In 
la 

V 

r 


Fig.  15. 


Fig.  IG. 


Mr' 

I 


whi(^h  Mr.  Burt  conjectures  once  formed  the  bed  of  the  river,  but  the  channel  of 
this  time  is  ten  feet  lower.  Soil  had  accumulated  over  the  tools  to  a  depth  of  two 
feet,  and  on  it  were  pine  trees,  considered  to  be  at  least  one  hundred  years  of  age. 

The  knife  was  harder  than  the  chips,  and 
does  not  bend  so  easily.  This  hardness  is 
probably  due  to  the  process  of  hammering 
which  the  mass  underwent  while  it  was  in  a 
cold  state,  and  not  to  any  tempering.  If  the 
bodkin-likc  implement  had  not  been  of  this 
parcel  the  others  might  have  been  referred 
to  the  present  race  of  Indians.  They  pos- 
sessed knives  and  other  implements  made 
of  copper  when  the  French  came  among 
them,  but  these  were  very  rude.  Mr. 
Baily,  of  Eagle  Harbor,  has  one  which 
resembles  feomewliat  the  semilunar  knife 
used  by  saddlcTs.  There  is  a  notch  in  the 
middle  by  which  to  attach  a  handle.  Mr. 
B.  thinks  it  was  used  in  dressing  and  work- 
ing skins.  It  was  found  in  the  gravel  withir. 
the  pickets  at  Fort  Wilkins,  Copper  Har'/or. 

Near  the  mouth  of  Carp  lliver  tlu  re  are 
remains  of  cabins,  placed  in  a  row  like  the 
houses  of  a  village.  This  is  sbjwn  by  a 
line  of  heaps  of  stone  and  clay,  like  the 
remains  of  cliimneys,  and  ccmnected  with 
them  slight  ridges  of  clay,  resembling  the 
low  embankments  around  a  log  building 
after  the  timber  has  decayed.  They  may 
have  been  formed  of  clay  which  was  used 
to  daub  the  chinks.  A  forest  of  ancient 
growth  cov(>red  these  ruins.  Although  I 
know  of  no  historical  evidence  illustrating 
the  point,  I  should  hesitate  to  give  them  a 
greater  antiquity  than  the  early  Freiuh  ad- 
venturers. It  is  about  two  hundred  years 
since  the  Jesuits  established  themselves  on 
Lake  Su])erior.  Traders  may  have  jjreceded 
thi"m  thirty  years,  and  construetetl  cabins  at 
j)laees  not  mentioned  by  the  Jesuits. 

I  have  seen  the  ruins  of  buildings  on  the 
west  fork  of  the  Ontonagon,  near  the  old 
C()pi)er  Rock,  th(>  history  of  wiiich  has 
readied  us,  and  which  were  erected  in  17(i{).    In  1K4.'),  eighty-four  years  afterwards, 


I'otSTKD  TiMlI,  WITH  A 
yiHKKT. — Full  ililU. 

Corp  River. 


RrPE  CnrrKR   Knmfk. — Full  rIzp. 
Cnrp  Kivor.  l,li.  Spots  of  ailver. 


all 


tlie  logs  except  such  as  were  of  cedar,  hatl  disappeared.     Near  a  cabin  which 


24 


ANCIENT   MINING 


was  used  for  u  blucksiiiith  shop,  the  outlines  of  a  forge  were  quite  distinct,  with 
cinders,  charcoal,  and  pieces  of  rusty  iron  lying  u])on  it.  Tlierc;  were  also  several 
pounds  of  corroded  steel  and  brass,  mostly  tlie  locks  and  guards  of  muskets,  and 


Fif(.  n. 


CoppEB  IssTRDMEXT. — Full  size.     Fort  Wilkius. 


'':  iv 


Section  tlirongli  <i  h. 

one  gun  barrel.  On  the  forge  a  pine  tree  had  established  itself,  which  we  cut 
down,  and  counted  upon  the  stump  sixty-one  layers  of  annual  growth. 

In  regard  to  the  implements  found  at  the  mill  on  Carji  River,  I  incline  to  the 
belief  that  tliey  are  not  as  ancient  as  the  old  mines.  Mr.  Henry,  who  has  furnished 
us  the  account  of  the  explorations  just  referred  to  on  the  Ontonagon  River,  and  on 
the  north  shore,  made  by  the  English  soon  after  the  Treaty  of  Paris,  says  that  the 
Indians  beat  out  pieces  of  copper  into  bracelets  and  spoons.  None  of  their  imple- 
ments are  shown  to  have  been  so  difficidt  to  form  as  the  chisels  and  spear-heads, 
which  arc  found  in  the  old  pits.  These  required  a  state  of  mechanical  skill  appa- 
rently above  the  reach  of  Indians. 

]Mr.  Burt  has  also  furnished  the  following  sketch  of  a  coitpvr  hoolc  found  by 
himself  in  the  excavation  of  the  iSt.  Mary's  Canal. 


,  it^ 


Ki«.  18. 


Y 


a 


CorrEii  IIcioK.— Full  sizfl.     n  a.  Flaws  in  thn  nictal.     Pault  St.  M.ary'fl, 

rt  Ims  the  usual  flaws  whicli  cold  wrought  articles  exhibit,  and  doubtless  belongs 
to  tiu;  class  of  recently  made  iiuplcments. 


ON   THE    SHORES   OF   LAKE   GUI' Ell  I  OR. 


25 


On  the  Canada  shore  of  the  St.  Mary's  River,  at  Garden  River,  twelve  miles 
below  the  Sault,  an  implement  was  discovered  in  the  soil  by  a  half-breed  and  pre- 
sented to  Mr.  Burt.     The  horizontal  and  side  views  are  sufficiently  shown  in  the 


Fig.  19. 


OiiTUNB  OF  A  Oiri'KH  TtMiL.     Full  bizo.     Oordeu  River,  Ciiuada. — a,  Tlie  head. — 6.  The  edge. — c  r.  Flaws  in  ilie 

metal. 


Loug  tudiiial  seotion. 
Fig.  20. 


CoppBR  Spbab-hbai).     Full  size.     Downward  view — r.  Hole  In  baik  of  sliank.     Oak  Orchard,  Oconto  Conntjr, 

VViMconvin. 


Side  view. 


f-'iM'tidn  of  liladi>  tlinmuli  <■  <l. 


HiH'tiou  (if  sliank  through  <i  h. 


skrtrh  to  iii(li(at(>  its  ns(>,  which  was  that  of  a  rutting  instrument  like  a  chisel. 
Its  bruisctl  head  shows  tiio  etit  tt  of  blows  from  a  mallet  of  wood  or  stone. 


m 
Si 


ji, 


20 


ANCIENT  MINING 


A  rude  knife  and  spear-head  of  copper  were  recently  picked  up  by  Mr.  WiDiam 
Wiudross,  at  Oak  Orchard,  Oconto  County,  Wisconsin,  on  tlie  western  shore  of 
(ireen  Bay.  They  are  in  the  possession  of  Lyman  C.  Draper,  Esq.,  of  Madison, 
Wisconsin,  to  whom  they  were  presented  by  tlic  Hon.  C.  D.  Itobinson,  of  Green 


Fk'.  21. 


Cdi'I'kk  Kmkf.     N.itiiriil  sl/.i'.- 


KlawH. 


ft 


Section  of  blado  from  n  to  '. 

Uuy.  Tlie  spear  or  arrow-head  differs  from  those  of  Lake  Superior  principally  in 
tii(>  state  of  tiuish,  and  in  having  ii  hole  c  in  the  shank  to  fasten  it  to  a  handle  or 
shaft.  Both  these  specimens  are  rou<^hly  forged  and  a])parently  ground  to  a  blunt 
edge.  'J'hey  are,  with  little  doubt,  recent,  the  work  of  some  half-breed  or  French- 
man. 

Bf/  tplinm  icere  (he  ancient  mines  wromjld? — I  have  already  giv(m  reasons  going  to 
show  that  it  was  not  the  present  Indian  race  by  whom  these  mines  were  worked. 

As  yot  no  remains  of  cities,  graves,  domicils,  or  highways  luive  b(>en  found  in  the 
copper  region.  As  the  race  appears  to  liiive  been  farther  advanced  in  civilizati(m 
than  their  succijssors,  whom  we  call  tlie  aborigines,  they  probably  had  better  means 
ot  transportation  than  th(>  bark  canoe.  They  niiglit  thus  carry  provisions  a  great 
•  listance  by  water.  Their  mine-works  are  open  cutH  exposed  to  tlie  day,  wliicli  in 
the  winter  in  tliis  country,  where  snow  lies  from  three  to  five  feet  in  de])t]i,  could 
not  be  occupied  comfortably  Avithout  shelter.  No  remains  of  such  coverings  have 
been  discovered,  nor  is  it  jn'obable  that  any  traces  of  siu-h  sliould  1U)W  be  recover 
aide.  On  the  upland  the  thermonu'ter  descends  to  minus  ;}H°,  This  would  not 
nuuler  these  trenches  aI)soliitcly  untenable,  but  would  present  great  difficulties  in 
working  them.  Even  in  modern  shafts  and  galleries,  that  are  closed  by  self-shutting 
doors,  frost  penetrates  to  a  de])th  of  twenty  aiul  thirty  fatlumis.  It  is  fretiuently 
necessary  to  put  stoves  in  the  \\\)\)vx  levels  in  order  to  prevent  tlieir  being  filled  with 
ice.  It  would  therefore  be  barely  possible,  by  no  means  ])rofi'ah1e,  to  work  in  ojx'u 
trenches  during  whiter.  The  miners  could  n-adily  bring  wiili  tliem  in  the  si)ring 
supplies  for  three  months,  and  before  these  were  exhausted  the  saiiii:  craft  might 


ON  THE  SHORES  OF  LAKE  SUPERIOR. 


27 


return  for  additional  supplies.  After  spendinpf  the  months  of  summer,  the  miners 
could  return  to  their  homes  for  winter,  carrjing  with  them  the  mineral  obtained 
during  the  season. 

In  relation  to  their  dead,  it  may  have  been  a  custom,  perhaps  a  part  of  their 
religion,  to  restore  the  bodies  to  their  friends.  If  the  number  of  operators  was  not 
great,  and  the  mortality  was  no  greater  than  it  is  now,  this  would  not  have  been  a 
great  burden.  In  case  there  were  no  women  and  children  the  proportional  number 
of  deaths  would  be  less  than  at  present.  It  is  now,  for  the  season  of  navigation, 
not  far  from  five  in  1000,  including  females  and  children,  and  including  also  those 
killed  by  accident. 

All  the  anci(!nt  excavations  hitherto  examined  could  have  been  made,  with  our 
m(!ans  of  working,  at  less  expense  than  has  been  incurred  during  the  last  ten  years. 
But  we  must  allow  much  for  the  imperfect  modes  of  operating,  and  thus  increase 
the  number  of  men  recjuired  to  do  the  same  work ;  we  must  also,  on  the  other  hand, 
conclude  tl\at  the  old  mines  were  wrought  a  great  length  of  time,  and  infer  that  a 
less  mining  force  was  kept  up  than  we  have  in  our  times. 

In  the  prosecution  of  mining  in  this  remote  region,  not  only  would  the  deaths 
be  few,  but  among  them  such  distinguished  persons  as  were  entitled  to  sepulchral 
mounds  or  monuments  would  not  be  found  in  great  numbers.  The  absence  of  arti- 
ficial mounds,  therefore,  need  not  excite  surprise. 

The  Mound  Builders  consumed  large  quantities  of  copper.  Axes,  adzes,  chisels, 
and  ornamental  rings  are  so  common  among  the  relics  in  Ohio  as  to  leave  no  doubt 
on  this  subject.  We  know  of  no  copper  bearing  veins  so  accessible  as  those  of 
Lake  Superior  to  a  people  residing  on  the  waters  of  the  Ohio.  Neither  are  there 
any  others  now  known  that  produce  natire,  vwlal  in  quantities  to  serve  as  an  article 
of  commerce.  Spe(;imons  of  pure  copper  art;  found  in  other  mines  of  North  America, 
but  not  as  a  pred()niinan.t  part  of  the  lode.  The  implements  and  ornaments  found  in 
the  mounds  are  made  of  metal  that  has  not  been  melte<l.  They  have  been  brought 
into  shape  mid  icrou(/?if,  or  at  least  without  heat  enough  to  liquefy  the  metal,  and 
were  therefore  produced  from  native  copper.  In  the  Lake  Superior  veins  spots  of 
native  nilper  are  frequently  seen  studding  the  surface  of  the  copper,  united  or  welded 
to  it,  but  not  alloyed  with  it.  This  is  not  known  of  any  other  mines,  and  seems  to 
mark  a  Lake  Supc^rior  specimen  wherev(>r  it  is  found.  It  also  proves  conclusively 
that  such  pi(>ces  have  not  undergone  fusion,  for  th(>n  the  pure  white  spots  would 
disappear,  forming  a  weak  alloy.  Copper  with  blotches  of  native  silver  has  been 
taken  from  the  mounds.  Dr.  John  Locke,  of  Ciurinnati,  possessed  a  flattened 
piece  of  cojujer  weighing  several  pounds,  which  was  found  in  the  earthworks  at 
( '()l(>rain,  I  lamiltou  County,  Ohio,  having  a  spot  of  silver  as  large  as  a  pea  forming 
a  part  of  the  mass. 

At  the  first  view  of  the  logs  which  supported  the  mass  m  of  the  Minnesota  v(>in, 
the  marks  of  the  tool  by  which  they  were  cut  brought  to  mind  the  old  copper  axes 
I  had  seen  in  Ohio,  figured  by  Mr.  Squier,  The  cut  was  about  an  inch  and  three- 
teiitlis  wide,  not  smooth  like  that  of  a  perfectly  sharp  e(lg(>,  and  not  deep  enough 
for  a  modern  axe  or  iiatcliet.  No  such  axes  have  been  fotuul  on  l,ake  Su]'erior. 
Those  of  Oliio  may  have  been  used  us  u  chisel,  although   Mr.  Stpiier  thinks  u 


38 


ANCIENT   MINING 


handle  was  attached  to  them.  Tlie  difference  between  the  axe  and  elnsel  is 
principally  in  the  taper  of  the  axe  towards  the  head.  No  fjroove  or  eye  has  been 
noticed  by  which  to  insert  a  handle,  but  the  Periivians  had  means  of  fastening  a 
handle  to  a  similar  instrument  without  either.  There  are  also  chisel-like  tools  from 
the  Ohio  mounds  almost  identical  with  those  I  have  already  figured.  James 
McBride,  Esq.,  of  Hamilton,  Butler  Ctnmty,  Ohio,  has  in  his  possession  four  of 
them,  found  in  1855  near  that  place,  that  may  be  regarded  either  as  chisels,  axes, 
or  adzes. 

How  much  time  has  passed  since  these  mines  were  wrought,  or  since  they  were 
abandoned,  is  a  question  of  great  interest.  The  timber  fomid  in  some  of  the  ancient 
mines  is  in  a  better  state  of  preservation  than  that  of  the  Ohio  mounds ;  but  it  does 
not  follow  that  it  is  more  recent.  Most  of  the  pieces  exhumed  were  covered  by 
water,  or  wet  earth.  In  a  northern  climate  the  decay  of  wood  is  slower  than  in 
warmer  regions.  The  timber  itself  is  mostly  resinous,  which  assists  in  its  preserva- 
tion. The  wooden  cobwork  that  remains  in  the  Ohio  tumuli,  hitherto  examined, 
always  lies  above  water,  and  the  loamy  earth  in  which  it  was  buried  does  not  wholly 
exclude  the  atmosphere. 

In  the  Grave  Creek  mound  the  timber  was  very  much  decayed,  but  the  chambers 
inclosing  the  skeletons  were  elevated  above  the  naturtU  surface,  and  the  surrounding 
earth  was  dry.  These  circumstances  being  considered,  it  does  not  follow  that  the 
wood  work  of  the  mounds  is  the  most  ancient  because  it  is  the  most  decayed. 

The  living  trees  now  standing,  with  their  roots  ent^vined  among  the  mauls,  skids, 
and  shovels  of  the  old  miners,  are  reliable  witnesses  as  to  the  least  space  of  time 
since  the  mines  were  abandoned.  The  age  of  such  trees  varies  from  300  to  350 
years.  Beneath  the  shade  of  these  ))atriarchs  of  the  forest  are  the  prostrate  and 
rotten  trunks  of  a  preceding  generation. 

General  Harrison,  in  a  discourse  before  the  Historical  Society  of  Ohio,  adds 
another  score  to  the  tally  of  ages  that  have  passed  since  the  earthworks  were 
evacuated.  When  groimd  that  has  been  cleared  of  its  timber  is  abandoned,  the 
second  growth  differs  from  the  first  in  kind.  It  is  not  >mtil  several  generations  of 
trees  have  disappeared,  that  such  places  produce  the  varieties  which  constituted  the 
original  forest.  The  sam(>  thing  is  obs(>rved  on  Point  Keweenaw;  where  a  sweep- 
ing fire  has  consumed  or  deadened  the  resinous  trees  of  the  mountains,  the  first 
succeeding  growth  is  that  of  birch  and  aspen. 

In  process  of  time,  however,  the  balsam,  cedar,  pine,  and  hemlock,  resume  their 
ancient  domain,  overshadowing  and  ohseiiring  tlie  deciduous  trees.  On  the  ancient 
burrows,  and  in  the  old  pits  of  Lake  SuiK-rior,  the.  same  kinds  of  timber  fiourish 
now  as  are  observed  in  the  surrounding  forest.  Thes(>  works  could  not  liavc  been 
carried  on  without  destroying  the  growth  of  timber  of  that  day.  Befim;  the  ])ines, 
and  other  evergreens  that  now  oteupy  thes(>  places,  overcame  the  birch  and  aspen 
trees,  one  or  two  generations  must  have  passed  away. 

Is  it  going  too  far,  on  the  strength  of  thi«  evidence,  to  place  the  nhandcmment  of 
the  mines  at  a  distance  of  500  to  600  years  fnmi  our  times'? 

Then;  may  have  been  inliabitants  cov(Ting  large  territories  for  long  periods  who 
have  disappeared  without  leaving  any  monumental  evidences  of  their  occupation. 


ON  THE  SHORES  OP  LAKE  SUPEUIOR. 


39 


If  the  North  American  Indians  had  ri  destroyed  by  a  general  pestilence  before 
Pamphilo  dc  Narvacz  landed  in  Florida,  what  traces  of  them  should  we  be  able  to 
find^  They  have  left  no  distinctive  marks  of  their  existence  impressed  upon  the 
soil.  Some  faint  signs  of  cultivation  in  the  shape  of  little  hillocks  or  hills  of  com, 
not  entirely  obliterated  as  yet,  are  the  sole  vestiges  of  centuries.  But  avoiding  all 
mere  conjectural  speculations,  the  following  conclusions  may  be  drawn  with  reason- 
able certainty: — 

An  ancient  people  extracted  copper  from  the  veins  of  Lake  Superior  of  whom 
history  gives  no  account. 

They  did  it  in  a  rude  way,  by  means  of  fire  and  the  use  of  copper  wedges  or 
gads,  and  by  stone  mauls. 

They  had  only  the  simplest  mechanical  contrivances,  and  consequently  pene- 
trated the  earth  but  a  short  distance.' 

Thej  do  not  appear  to  have  acquired  any  skill  in  the  art  of  metallurgy  or  of 
cutting  masses  of  copper. 

For  cutting  tools  thoy  had  chisels,  and  probably  adzes  or  axes  of  copper.  These 
tools  arc  of  pure  copper,  and  hardened  only  by  condensation  or  beating  when  cold. 

They  sought  chiefly  for  small  masses  and  lumps,  and  not  for  large  masses. 

No  scpiUchral  mounds,  defences,  domicils,  roads  or  canals  arc  known  to  have  been 
made  by  them.     No  evidences  have  been  discovered  of  the  cultivation  of  the  soil. 

They  had  weapons  of  defence  or  of  the  chase,  such  as  darts,  spears,  and  daggers 
of  copper. 

They  must  have  been  numerous,  industrious,  and  persevering,  and  have  occupied 
the  country  a  long  time. 

Eaole  UiVEn,  Sfay  1,  185r>. 


'  Their  deepest  works  nre  about  the  Kanic  as  that  of  the  oUl  tin  mines  of  Cornwall,  which  were 
wrought  before  the  conquest  of  Britain  by  the  UomuoB, 


PUBLlSIIF.n    nv   THE  SMITHSONIAN    I  N  8T  ITi;  T  ION  , 

WA81IINUTUN,    D.    C. 

APRIL,  1»63. 


